Landscapes, soils, and the stories they tell

ENST2007: Landscapes, Soils and Surface Environments

Landscapes and soils shape many of the environmental challenges we face, from food production and water security to biodiversity conservation and climate change. Our new second year unit, ENST2007: Landscapes, Soils and Surface Environments (LSSE) introduces students to the science needed to understand these systems and manage them responsibly. The unit uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a broad point of reference, with its primary focus being on the underlying processes that govern how landscapes, soils and surface environments function.

The unit begins with the foundations of landscape and soil science. Students examine how geology, climate, organisms, topography and time interact to create different soils and landforms. For example, why do the higher-rainfall lateritic uplands of the Darling Plateau support tall jarrah–marri forest, while the deep, freely draining sands of the Swan Coastal Plain typically sustain more open Banksia woodlands? How do soil texture, structure and carbon content influence water storage, plant growth and susceptibility to erosion? These questions are explored through core principles of soil formation, spatial variability and measurement.

The focus then shifts to dynamic surface environments. Students examine the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum as a coupled system that regulates water movement, energy exchange and plant productivity. Through watershed hydrology and sediment transport, they analyse how rainfall is partitioned into infiltration, runoff, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge, and how these pathways influence erosion, sediment redistribution and landscape connectivity. The unit also explores the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as fundamental processes that shape nutrient availability, soil organic matter dynamics and ecosystem function. These cycles connect biological activity, mineral weathering and hydrological movement, helping explain feedbacks between vegetation, soil structure and climate. Understanding these linked processes provides a scientific basis for interpreting disturbance, degradation and recovery in landscapes.

A distinctive aspect of the unit is its engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems and two-way science. Students consider Indigenous perspectives on country, land stewardship and resilience, and explore how these can inform and complement quantitative soil and landscape science. This integration broadens the way environmental problems are understood and addressed.

Teaching combines conceptual and applied learning. Workshops introduce key ideas such as spatial organisation, soil–plant–atmosphere interactions and landscape evolution. Tutorials extend these ideas through data analysis using R and spatial tools. Students develop practical skills in sampling design, estimation, interpretation and reproducible workflows, reflecting contemporary environmental science practice.

Assessment mirrors how environmental scientists work. Workshop tasks build analytical confidence. A major management brief requires students to integrate soils, hydrology, sediment processes and knowledge systems into a coherent response to a complex scenario. An oral examination assesses understanding of core processes and the ability to explain and apply them clearly.

ENST2007 LSSE is ultimately about learning to read landscapes systematically: to connect soil properties, vegetation, hydrology and climate into a coherent understanding of how surface environments function. The SDGs sit in the background as a guide to why this knowledge matters, but the unit itself is grounded in scientific principles and practical skills.

By the end of the unit, students will have a more integrated understanding of landscape systems and greater confidence in analysing them critically, drawing on both quantitative environmental science and Indigenous knowledge to inform responsible land management.